The Middle East is one of the regions most susceptible to climate change, as the temperature rises year after year. The United Nations has emphasized the disastrous effects climate change would have on the region’s water supply and agriculture. 

A multinational team of scientists has now cautioned that the Middle East, where temperatures are rising twice as fast as the global average, might suffer catastrophic effects from climate change. 

According to a Cyprus Institute report, the region could experience warming up to 5 degrees Celsius or more by the end of the century. The temperature increase was almost twice and more rapid this season than in any other populated region.

According to one scientist who contributed to the report, a combination of decreased rainfall and weather warming would cause severe droughts, jeopardizing food and water security and leaving many nations unprepared for rising sea levels.

“This [scenario] would imply severe challenges for coastal infrastructure and agriculture and can lead to the salinization of coastal aquifers, including the densely populated and cultivated Nile Delta,” said Dr George Zittis of the Cyprus Institute, an author of the report.

Scientists are recommending the quick implementation of decarbonization measures with an emphasis on the energy and transportation sectors. The annual temperature increase might be stabilized at roughly 2 degrees Celsius by achieving the primary goals of the Paris Agreement, a global agreement of nations to reduce emissions. 

“Since many of the regional outcomes of climate change are transboundary, stronger collaboration among the countries is indispensable to cope with the expected adverse impacts,” said Jos Lelieveld, director of the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, professor at the Cyprus Institute, and coordinator of the assessment.

The report will be presented at the COP27 summit in Egypt in November. 

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